James Young, a native of Kent, England, is heading to Kona for the 2nd time with his Dimond on one side and his wife, Claire, on the other. Both requalified this year at IM Canada. James, in his 3rd place finish, PR’d his bike split and the race in 9hrs 49mins.
James made two key changes in 2015 and 2016:
- A shiny new Dimond
- Coaches Matt Dixon and Sean Garrick of PurplePatch Fitness
Both added speed and smiles, with Matt adding the structure and proper feedback for this man who also coaches triathletes for PB&J coaching. Seems like a proper one-two punch as Dimond pro Jesse Thomas and AG slayer Emily Lanter did the same.
Last year James famously described his Dimond as “an armchair strapped to a Ferrari.” And he’s spent some quality time aboard his rocket in 2016, raising his FTP from 310 to 340. Like many, he thinks of a myriad of things during his long rides, describing his mind as “a hyperactive, coffee fueled 9 year old randomly abusing Google.” But one thing this designer never worries about is his Dimond. Never one for sugarcoating, James states, “If you don’t hate a bike after five hours in the saddle – you’re golden. It’s the perfect long haul partner.”
James, and his wife Claire now lives in British Columbia where he has the opportunity to slash the big descents regularly. A la Jesse Thomas in Lanzarote, Young feels he gains as much time on the descents as he does the flats. “The descents are a stay-in-aero, stress-free grin fest. The bike feels as though it’s ‘on rails.’”
Update: Over the weekend, James was involved in a bike accident near his hometown in Kelowna, British Columbia. James somehow walked away with only minor bumps and bruises, but will be needing a crash replacement bike before Kona. Wish James a speedy recovery, and if you see him in Kona give him a nod as this hard nose Brit is still full steam ahead with his eyes set on that Kona shoreline.
